Thank you so much for reading this letter. It
will be so nice to finally get some answers to
my questions! I'm sorry this is so long, but
I really want you to see where I'm coming from
before I ask!

I am a Christian pro-life teenage girl who has
always been very old-fashioned and anti-feminist.
Recently, I started reading feminist books to
try to understand feminists, and I found myself
drawn to them- their support for each other and
women everywhere, which I never really understood.
At the same time, however, I also got "sucked" into
fundamentalist Christian websites that preached
things like to be a Christian you must home school
your children, be extremely submissive, never
do anything except homemaking....stuff like that.
They had an almost cult-like influence on me....I
started believing that! It was scary the influence
they had. Fortunately, my mom, dad, and boyfriend
(all Christians; and my mom chose to be a homemaker)
all said basically-they're too hard-core. You
don't have to be like that. I finally realized
that God meant men and women to be equal. Yay,
what a sense of relief! Now I feel even more
open to feminism than ever before (because I've
felt like I'm not allowed to be anything but
a future quilt making baby machine), but I'm
afraid there is no place in feminism for a Christian
pro-lifer like me. I love feminist's peaceful
activism and sense of responsibility, but would
I be accepted? Do you happen to know any good
resources?

Thank you!

Sophie

Dear Sophie -

A couple of years ago, I would have believed that
you were a minority within feminists, but given
many conversations I have had over the past few
years I know that people like you are increasingly
becoming a larger part of feminism. I don't believe
that more people are religious or pro-life and
feminist, but I believe that more people feel comfortable
publicly addressing these seeming contradictions.
I think also that feminism has made more a place
for women who have different opinions and trust
those women to have their own opinion.

When it
comes to abortion, I think the fine line is
that while you can certainly have those beliefs
and act on them in your own life as well as help
other women to make different choices, not abortion,
I don't think that you can stop - in the form
of picketing, bombing, etc... abortion clinics.
The entire point is choice and you don't have
to support another woman's choice, but you should
support her right to it. It's a fine line, but
an important distinction. I hope that helps --
and certainly know that you aren't alone -- there
are many other notes posted at feminist.com and
there is also groups like Catholics
for a Free Choice that might
be able to help.